“I won’t go home,” she said; “I won’t!” and she evaded the clutch of the fatherly policeman and tried to thrust herself past him in the direction of that big portal.  “Steady on!” he cried.

A diversion was created by the violent struggles of the little old lady.  She seemed to be endowed with superhuman strength.  A knot of three policemen in conflict with her staggered toward Ann Veronica’s attendants and distracted their attention.  “I will be arrested!  I won’t go home!” the little old lady was screaming over and over again.  They put her down, and she leaped at them; she smote a helmet to the ground.

“You’ll have to take her!” shouted an inspector on horseback, and she echoed his cry:  “You’ll have to take me!” They seized upon her and lifted her, and she screamed.  Ann Veronica became violently excited at the sight.  “You cowards!” said Ann Veronica, “put her down!” and tore herself from a detaining hand and battered with her fists upon the big red ear and blue shoulder of the policeman who held the little old lady.

So Ann Veronica also was arrested.

And then came the vile experience of being forced and borne along the street to the police-station.  Whatever anticipation Ann Veronica had formed of this vanished in the reality.  Presently she was going through a swaying, noisy crowd, whose faces grinned and stared pitilessly in the light of the electric standards.  “Go it, miss!” cried one.  “Kick aht at ’em!” though, indeed, she went now with Christian meekness, resenting only the thrusting policemen’s hands.  Several people in the crowd seemed to be fighting.  Insulting cries became frequent and various, but for the most part she could not understand what was said.  “Who’ll mind the baby nar?” was one of the night’s inspirations, and very frequent.  A lean young man in spectacles pursued her for some time, crying “Courage!  Courage!” Somebody threw a dab of mud at her, and some of it got down her neck.  Immeasurable disgust possessed her.  She felt draggled and insulted beyond redemption.

She could not hide her face.  She attempted by a sheer act of will to end the scene, to will herself out of it anywhere.  She had a horrible glimpse of the once nice little old lady being also borne stationward, still faintly battling and very muddy—­one lock of grayish hair straggling over her neck, her face scared, white, but triumphant.  Her bonnet dropped off and was trampled into the gutter.  A little Cockney recovered it, and made ridiculous attempts to get to her and replace it.

“You must arrest me!” she gasped, breathlessly, insisting insanely on a point already carried; “you shall!”

The police-station at the end seemed to Ann Veronica like a refuge from unnamable disgraces.  She hesitated about her name, and, being prompted, gave it at last as Ann Veronica Smith, 107A, Chancery Lane....